Steamed Chicken Chinese Style

A couple weekends ago, we broke in our new crockpot. Today, we’re breaking in a new steamer. We have prepared this particular dinner several times since we saw the recipe on The Food Network by Chef Tyler Florence. It’s called Steamed Soy-Marinated Chicken. In the past, we used a traditional bamboo steamer over a wok filled with water just to the bottom of the bamboo.

A couple of years ago, we got this counter-top steamer from Mom and Dad. We almost forgot about it until the other day when Damsel ran across it in our storage closet.

Right: Steamer all loaded and ready to go. (Click for a close-up)

Here’s the recipe that we used:

1 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon peanut oil
½ lime, juiced
1 (1-inch) piece ginger, sliced thick
1 cloves garlic, sliced
1 handful cilantro, chopped
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 head savoy cabbage

Into a large, re-sealable plastic bag add the soy sauce, sesame oil, peanut oil, lime juice, ginger, garlic, and cilantro. Seal the bag and shake it to mix the ingredients. Add the chicken breasts and shake it again. Let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1/2 hour or up to overnight.

Pour about 1-inch of water into a wok and bring it to a boil over high heat. Line the bottom of a bamboo steamer with a layer of cabbage leaves. Place the marinated chicken on top of the leaves. Cover the steamer and put it into the wok. Steam the chicken until it is cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes.

And here’s the delectable result: Steamed soy chicken with baby spinach, bok choi (grown in our garden and harvested yesterday) and savoy cabbage with saffron rice. The greens had a wonderful Chinese dressing with soy sauce, sesame oil, honey and rice wine vinegar.